Chapter 1: Horses in Age
Listings
Chapter 3: Colors in Horses
The English-speaking world measures the height of horses in hands, abbreviated "h" or "hh", for "hands high", measured at the highest point of an animal's withers, where the neck meets the back, chosen as a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down; one hand is 4 inches (10 cm). Intermediate heights are defined by hands and inches, rounding to the lower measurement in hands, followed by a decimal point and the number of additional inches between 1 and 3. Thus a horse described as "15.2 h", is 15 hands, 2 inches (62 in/160 cm) in height.[22] The size of horses varies by breed, but can also be influenced by nutrition.
Size varies greatly among horse breeds, as with this full-sized horse and a miniature horse.
The general rule for cutoff in height between what is considered a horse and a pony at maturity is 14.2 hands (58 in/150 cm). An animal 14.2 h or over is usually considered to be a horse and one less than 14.2 h a pony. However, there are exceptions to the general rule. Some breeds which typically produce individuals both under and over 14.2 h are considered horses regardless of their height. Conversely, some pony breeds may have features in common with horses, and individual animals may occasionally mature at over 14.2 h, but are still considered to be ponies.
The distinction between a horse and pony is not simply a difference in height, but takes account of other aspects of phenotype or appearance, such as conformation and temperament. Ponies often exhibit thicker manes, tails and overall coat. They also have proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier bone, shorter and thicker necks, and short heads with broad foreheads. They often have calmer temperaments than horses and also a high level of equine intelligence that may or may not be used to cooperate with human handlers.
